The Cowboys are widely expected to do some maneuvering in the first round of the NFL draft, and now ESPN's Peter Schrager has bought into the buzz.
In his second and final mock draft of the season, Schrager has Dallas trading both up and back in the first round. Under this scenario, the Cowboys would still walk away from Thursday night's proceedings with two new players, a key step in what they hope will be a quick turnaround for a defense that struggled mightily last season. With this double-swap, they reap the benefits of both jumping the line to snatch one of this year's elite defenders and also biding their time until the late first round, when the value of the pick perhaps more closely matches the available talent level.
Two weeks ago, Schrager had the Cowboys sticking and picking with both the No. 12 and No. 20 selections, taking Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Miami edge rusher Akeheem Mesidor.
This time around, he still likes Dallas to address the secondary and pass rush, but with different prospects.
The Cowboys have been the subject of several trade rumors, with many expecting Jerry Jones to wrangle his way into the top 10. They've been pegged as a viable candidate to wind up with the No. 3, No. 4, or No. 6 pick, depending on whose rumor mill you choose to believe.
Many also expect the team to try to trade down, out of the 20th overall pick. But trading twice in the opening round requires finding two willing trade partners... unless there's another team with a pair of picks who's ready to negotiate.
In Schrager's hypothetical trade, the Cowboys turn to their old friends, the Kansas City Chiefs. Big D and K.C. simply swap first-round picks. The Cowboys get No. 9 and No. 29 and the Chiefs take over No. 12 and No. 20.
"I could see this happening," Schrager says. And he does have a reputation for being accurate with his mocks.
The classic Jimmy Johnson trade value chart doesn't calculate it as an even swap; the Cowboys overpay- but just slightly- to facilitate the move. But it's close enough to be plausible, and it likely helps both clubs.
"After allowing 377 yards per game and letting opponents convert on third down 47.3% of the time -- ranking among the worst in the NFL in both -- Dallas has to get one of the top defensive prospects. It's a necessity. ... Delane's coverage ability should help stop some of the big plays that doomed the Cowboys in 2025." --Schrager
Delane was an early favorite to get the call from Dallas, but his stock has risen steadily in the pre-draft cycle, to the point that few believe anymore that he'd be there waiting for the Cowboys at No. 12. As with Downs or Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., it's now widely held that it would take a trade into the top 10 to get any of them. Even at No. 9, the Cowboys have to hope things fall a certain way with teams like Arizona (No. 3), Tennessee (No. 4), the Giants (No. 5), and Washington (No. 7) to even have a crack at the top cornerback in this year's class.
"Lawrence has quietly risen the board over the past two months, and I wouldn't be surprised if he hears his name late in Round 1. Dallas gets the defense-defense double up that has been predicted for a while, but it does it from two different picks than expected after the projected trade. Lawrence can boost the pass rush; he had seven sacks in 2025." --Schrager
Lawrence hasn't gotten a ton of hype within Cowboys Nation, sitting just outside the big six names at edge rusher. But every one of them is gone in Schrager's mock by the time the Cowboys come back on the clock at No. 29. Lawrence, however, is no consolation prize. He's super-athletic, with a Relative Athletic Score of 9.94 out of 10, finishing above the 97th percentile in explosiveness grades and in the 99th percentile in edge rusher speed. That's good value this late in the first.
The Chiefs come away from this imagined deal with Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. at No. 12 and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 20. Per an X post from Schrager, the "Chiefs want 2 starters. 12/20 gets than that. Draft 'falls off a cliff' a bit after top 20 when it comes to 1st round talent."
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: ESPN's Schrager predicts Cowboys, Chiefs to swap 4 picks in 1st round